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      • Chris Hobson
      • Dave Lovelady
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  • Sidelines
    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
    • 1965: Escalation of the War/Start of Rolling Thunder
    • 1966: Rolling Thunder Gets into its Stride
    • 1967: Rolling Thunder - The Peak Year
    • 1968: Tet, Khe Sanh, and the End of Rolling Thunder
    • 1969: Interdiction on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
    • 1970: The Year of Withdrawal
    • 1971: A Much Reduced Presence
    • 1972: The Spring Invasion/Linebacker Campaigns
    • 1973: Winding Up the War
  • Statistics
    • Loss Statistics
    • Losses Due to Air Base Attacks
    • Losses Due to Accidents on the Ground or Aboard Ship
    • US Air Force Loss Statistics
    • US Navy Loss Statistics
    • US Marine Corps Loss Statistics
  • Details
    • Order of Battle
    • Index of Names
    • Abbreviations and Glossary of Operations, Code Names, and Projects
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    • Hints on How to Search
    • Notes and Caveats
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Strategic Reconnaissance (Oct 1966)

In February 1964 SAC deployed a detachment of four U-2s of the 4080th SRW to Bien Hoa to fly high-altitude reconnaissance flights over Southeast Asia. The U-2 had been one of the USA’s best kept secrets of the Cold War until the shooting down of Gary Powers over Russia on 1 May 1960. Although complex to operate and still shrouded in secrecy, its ability to collect intelligence made the U-2 an invaluable asset in Southeast Asia. On 5 April 1965 a U-2 took photographs of SA-2 missile sites under construction near Hanoi and Haiphong. The detachment, initially known as Lucky Dragon then Trojan Horse and then Giant Dragon, was operated by the 4028th SRS but on 11 February 1966 the Wing was redesignated as the 100th SRW and the Bien Hoa detachment later came under the 349th SRS. The aircraft that crashed on 8 October 1966 was the only U-2 lost in connection with the wars in Southeast Asia. On 11 July 1970 the U-2 detachment moved to U-Tapao and the detachment was upgraded to become the 99th SRS. The last U-2 did not finally leave Thailand until March 1976.

 

 

 

 

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© Chris Hobson and David Lovelady. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
      • Chris Hobson
      • Dave Lovelady
    • About the Book
    • About the Data
    • About this Site
  • Sidelines
    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
    • 1965: Escalation of the War/Start of Rolling Thunder
    • 1966: Rolling Thunder Gets into its Stride
    • 1967: Rolling Thunder - The Peak Year
    • 1968: Tet, Khe Sanh, and the End of Rolling Thunder
    • 1969: Interdiction on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
    • 1970: The Year of Withdrawal
    • 1971: A Much Reduced Presence
    • 1972: The Spring Invasion/Linebacker Campaigns
    • 1973: Winding Up the War
  • Statistics
    • Loss Statistics
    • Losses Due to Air Base Attacks
    • Losses Due to Accidents on the Ground or Aboard Ship
    • US Air Force Loss Statistics
    • US Navy Loss Statistics
    • US Marine Corps Loss Statistics
  • Details
    • Order of Battle
    • Index of Names
    • Abbreviations and Glossary of Operations, Code Names, and Projects
    • Bibliography
  • Searching the Database
    • Hints on How to Search
    • Notes and Caveats
    • Searching for Call Signs
    • Search Forms
  • Photo Gallery
  • Contact Us
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